Auckland and Selwyn lead New Zealand population growth

New Stats NZ data shows Auckland is the fastest-growing city, with its population increasing by 1.2% to 1,841,200 in the year to June 2026. Selwyn is the fastest-growing territorial authority, growing by 2.9% to reach 90,800 people. Two-thirds of the country's territorial authority and Auckland local board areas experienced population growth during this period.

Six cities experienced population declines, with Wellington seeing the largest drop of 0.6% to 208,300 people. Wellington's population has returned to levels seen in 2017. Other cities with falling populations include Dunedin (down 0.5%), Nelson (down 0.2%), Palmerston North (down 0.2%), Napier (down 0.2%), and Porirua (down 0.1%).

Growth was heavily concentrated in Auckland and the South Island, which contained the ten fastest-growing areas. Within Auckland, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu and Papakura both grew by 2.3%, while Ōtara-Papatoetoe grew by 2.1% and Henderson-Massey by 2%. Outside of Auckland, Christchurch remains the largest city with 422,400 people.

Economist Nick Brunsdon noted that Wellington's decline is partly due to employment, stating, "The number of jobs has fallen 6000 over the past three years and a lot of people who've lost their jobs have just left". He also observed that Auckland's growth is unusual given its weak economy.

How it developed

• Mon 2 Nov, 11:44amThis report provides specific population totals for Auckland, Selwyn, and Wellington, and details natural decrease figures for various districts.

Where reports differ

• While most reports list the six shrinking cities, report 3 specifies that Dunedin and Nelson recorded natural decreases, whereas Napier saw 10 more deaths than births

Compiled from reports by RNZ, The Press, Stuff and NZ Herald.